Mothers complain about how hard life is and the kids just don't understand
The last in a week of titles for blog posts from songs with the day of the week in the title. This one is pretty easy.
I learned something yesterday. Actually I learned several things. I learned that in the eyes of some, I'm not really a movie critic. Not because I don't write film criticism, but because I don't get paid for it. Imagine. All of the people involved in creative or evaluative endeavors aren't really what they think they are solely because they don't receive direct financial compensation.
Painters are not painters because they don't sell their work. Writers can't be novelists or essayists because no one is paying to read their words. Bloggers engaged in reporting the news aren't reporters because there is no paycheck. Someone actually believes that the profit motive is the ultimate definer of who and what we are in terms of avocation.
Fortunately, the bulk of the population doesn't share this worldview. We choose our avocations and self-define without regard to whether or not our efforts are rewarded with renumeration. I am a movie critic because I write reviews of films. I think I'm a critic. My editor thinks I'm a critic. The people who read my reviews think I am a critic. The PR firms and studios who invite me more and more frequently to attend screenings and to review, and write articles about their films think I'm a critic. I'll accept my own judgment above all. But since the profit motive is what some think is the ultimate determination, I'll also accept the judgment that people in the movie business, who ARE getting paid for what they do, think I'm a movie critic. Those other opinions will go into the waste bin, where they rightly belong.
I'm also fortunate in that I won't have too much time to ponder this particular attempt at value judgment by someone else about who I am and what I do because I'll be too busy working and going to movie screenings in the next two weeks.
There are other things to ponder on a Sunday moring. Warning, there are movie spoilers ahead. If you haven't seen "A Good Day to Die Hard", you may want to skip the next paragraph.
A spray-mist that can eliminate radiation? Really? A helicopter that loses pieces of the main rotors when they strike a building, but they magically regenerate in the next shot? Really?
Who was the richest president, if their fortunes at that time were adjusted for current values? George Washington. In 2013 dollars, his net worth would have been over $500 million. But what's really interesting is that he was the best paid president. His salary was 2% of the entire year's budget. Imagine today, with a budget of over $3 trillion, what Obama would get if he were to be paid 2% of the entire total.
Apparently the $525,000 watch Rafael Nadal was wearing when he played tennis wasn't pricy enough. So the manufacturer replaced it with a model worth $690,000. He plans to make only 50 of them. You can do the math.
Alright, time is up for this morning. Hopefully if I'm not distracted this afternoon, I can get around to the rest of the day's ponderings and this Date in History. Have a good Sunday.
I learned something yesterday. Actually I learned several things. I learned that in the eyes of some, I'm not really a movie critic. Not because I don't write film criticism, but because I don't get paid for it. Imagine. All of the people involved in creative or evaluative endeavors aren't really what they think they are solely because they don't receive direct financial compensation.
Painters are not painters because they don't sell their work. Writers can't be novelists or essayists because no one is paying to read their words. Bloggers engaged in reporting the news aren't reporters because there is no paycheck. Someone actually believes that the profit motive is the ultimate definer of who and what we are in terms of avocation.
Fortunately, the bulk of the population doesn't share this worldview. We choose our avocations and self-define without regard to whether or not our efforts are rewarded with renumeration. I am a movie critic because I write reviews of films. I think I'm a critic. My editor thinks I'm a critic. The people who read my reviews think I am a critic. The PR firms and studios who invite me more and more frequently to attend screenings and to review, and write articles about their films think I'm a critic. I'll accept my own judgment above all. But since the profit motive is what some think is the ultimate determination, I'll also accept the judgment that people in the movie business, who ARE getting paid for what they do, think I'm a movie critic. Those other opinions will go into the waste bin, where they rightly belong.
I'm also fortunate in that I won't have too much time to ponder this particular attempt at value judgment by someone else about who I am and what I do because I'll be too busy working and going to movie screenings in the next two weeks.
There are other things to ponder on a Sunday moring. Warning, there are movie spoilers ahead. If you haven't seen "A Good Day to Die Hard", you may want to skip the next paragraph.
A spray-mist that can eliminate radiation? Really? A helicopter that loses pieces of the main rotors when they strike a building, but they magically regenerate in the next shot? Really?
Who was the richest president, if their fortunes at that time were adjusted for current values? George Washington. In 2013 dollars, his net worth would have been over $500 million. But what's really interesting is that he was the best paid president. His salary was 2% of the entire year's budget. Imagine today, with a budget of over $3 trillion, what Obama would get if he were to be paid 2% of the entire total.
Apparently the $525,000 watch Rafael Nadal was wearing when he played tennis wasn't pricy enough. So the manufacturer replaced it with a model worth $690,000. He plans to make only 50 of them. You can do the math.
Alright, time is up for this morning. Hopefully if I'm not distracted this afternoon, I can get around to the rest of the day's ponderings and this Date in History. Have a good Sunday.
posted by me at 7:54 AM
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